Etymograph

English

aegis

Aegis comes from Latin aegis ‘of Athena or Minerva’, and goes back to Ancient Greek αἰγίς ‘goatskin’.

  1. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEαἰγίςaigís‘goatskin’
  2. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEaegis‘of Athena or Minerva’
  3. Englishearliest quotation 1790same form

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Earlier history uncertain.

Lineage

  1. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEαἰγίςaigís‘goatskin’
  2. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEaegis‘of Athena or Minerva’
  3. Englishearliest quotation 1790same form

Earliest quotation: 1790, AEGIS: “The goat Amalthea, which had suckled Jove, being dead,…”

The story

Borrowed from Latin aegis, from Ancient Greek αἰγίς (aigís, “goatskin; shield of Athena”), probably from αἴξ (aíx, “goat”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂eyǵ- (‘goat’). The plural form aegides (/ˈiːd͡ʒɪdiːz/) is borrowed from Latin aegides, from Ancient Greek αἰγῐ́δες (aigĭ́des).

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *h₂eyǵ- ‘goat’

oak, 2 more

Today it means

noun A mythological shield associated with the Greek deities Zeus and Athena (and their Roman counterparts Jupiter and Minerva) shown as a short cloak made of goatskin worn on the shoulders, more as an emblem of power and protection than a military shield. The aegis of Athena or Minerva is usually shown with a border of snakes and with the head of Medusa in the center.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / Ancient Greek αἰγίς / aegis

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